billsfan1959

When we hear of someone passing away, I think it is a natural response to be curious about the cause of death. For most people, I think it is a passing curiosity and nothing more. For others, it seems to be more than that. To each their own. As for "busting the balls of others," that seems to be a TBD pastime...

What is your concern?

Amen….

Davis brings a physical presence, not only in the passing game but as a blocking WR as well. Hodgins? Not so much....

Well, I don't think you can look strictly at the draft. You have to look at free agency (i.e.; Morse, Beasley) and trades (i.e.; Diggs) as well. As a whole, I would have liked more emphasis on the Oline. They have a QB that could end up being the best to ever play the game. I would like for the team to continually ensure he has a top Oline in front of him. From that perspective I don't disagree with you. My argument has been about this past offseason. I believe the Dline, in spite of the (failed) resources put into in past years, needed an drastic upgrade. Given their cap room in free agency and the way the draft played out, I think they had to make some hard choices. I believe this team, this year, will benefit more from what they did defensively - along with the addition of Kromer to the coaching staff.

You do remember correctly. 220 Yds rushing when everyone in the entire stadium knew they were not going to throw the ball. That's my point. The Dline was incapable of consistently stopping the run, especially in key situations - even when they knew it was going to be a run. They lacked the talent to play at an elite level. The offense, on the other hand, was capable of playing at an elite level in any game they played. I have stated over and over that I wanted upgrades on offense, particularly along the Oline. It needed it as well. But, IMO, the Dline needed it as much or more.

I'm not saying the offense didn't have a hand in it. However, the defense struggled against the run, particularly in key situations, like they did in numerous games. I look at it this way: The offense had the talent last year to play at an elite level in every game. When they didn't, it was because they didn't execute well, not because they didn't have enough talent. The defense had the talent to play at a high level against weaker teams and those that didn't run the ball well. They struggled against good running teams because they didn't have the talent to raise their game to an elite level. We can agree to disagree.

But it wasn't overrated. They literally graded out as one of the worst defenses against top 15 rushing teams and had difficulty stopping the run in key situations in numerous games. They gave up an average of 160 YPG in their losses. They were not good and it did cost them. I am not disagreeing about the lack of upgrade along the Oline. I wanted it as well. But don't think for a second that the Dline did not drastically need an upgrade in talent.

I won't disagree with you here. I was pretty vocal about upgrading both the Dline and the Oline during free agency and the draft. But, tbf, it was a game of musical chairs along the Oline last year, with their best five starting linemen playing together in only five games. Their lack of depth probably hurt them more than the actual talent level of their best five. I think, if the Oline stays healthy this year, and with the addition of Kromer, they will be fine. I don't believe I would be able to say that if they were still fielding last year's Dline.

I absolutely see your point. I wanted more on the offensive side of the ball (particularly along the Oline) as well. However, I wanted that defensive line fixed even more. One of the Bills' greatest weaknesses last year was their run defense. They needed a drastic overhaul to fix that and improve the pass rush at the same time. Everyone likes to point out the Pittsburgh and Jax games as evidence of offensive failure last year. They lost those games because they didn't play well, not because they needed more talent. I look at the losses to Tennessee, Indianapolis, and the first NE game where they got run over. Not because they didn't play well, but because they needed more talent.

A cloud inside every silver lining....

Lawyers on both sides are advocates and anything they put out publicly is designed to persuade the court of public opinion to their respective sides. If you rely on the information put out by either attorney as completely factual, you are a fool. Last I checked, the investigation by law enforcement hadn't been released. So, we really have no idea what the actual facts are - just the versions of those facts put out by each side.

I already replied and my answer remains the same. I believe Beane and McDermott tried their best to do the right thing. Nothing I have read or observed has changed that stance. You are welcome to believe otherwise, that is your right. Although, you do seem to be on a bit of a crusade. Again, that is your right. I hope the victim in this case achieves some measure of justice and has the support to help her rebuild her life. I hope the individuals responsible are punished. If Araiza was one of those then so be it. If he was not, then I hope he can rebuild his life as well. Whatever you or I believe about what the Bills did or didn’t do is of no consequence.

So, your correcting assumptions by other posters with assumptions of your own?

When you go from accusations / allegations to actually having a civil suit filed or criminal charges brought, the situation has drastically changed. I’m not sure why I should have to explain that. I would think it would be self evident.

I believe it was pretty much as Beane described it. They were made aware of the allegations and obtained Araiza’s version of the events. They then tried to find out what the actual facts supported. Unfortunately, it is an ongoing investigation and there is only so much information any LE agency is going to release about an active investigation. Unless you have the ability to go through an entire investigative file, you have no idea what the actual facts are. If you rely on what is being released publicly, by either side, you are a fool. They are advocates and, believe it or not, there are occasions when the things they say do not reflect the actual facts in any way. Hell, there are times in the courtroom when arguments are complete distortions of the facts. As they both said, it was difficult to get any factual information. When the civil suit was filed, it completely changed the dynamics. I think they are still in the same position most rational people are in: They still don’t have enough information to feel certain either way. In the end, I believe they did what they felt was best. I do not have any problem with Beane or McDermott in this situation. Everything they have done, said, and demonstrated in their time with the Bills says to me they are men of integrity and high character. Nothing that has transpired has changed my feelings about them.

Who is your surprise cut? Howard Who is your surprise to make the 53 man roster? Morris What rookie (not named Araiza) is most likely to be named as a starter in week 1? Elam What rookie will have the biggest overall season? Shakir How many of the 8 players chosen in the Bills 2022 draft will make the roster (not the practice squad)? 6

This thread is going to end well....

I agree that being a head coach is much different than being a coordinator and that not all coordinators are equipped to be head coaches. However, I don't believe we have any information to say whether or not McDaniel has what it takes to be a successful head coach. I will give him the benefit of the doubt until I see otherwise.

I actually think Mike McDaniel has a pretty bright offensive mind. There is a reason Shanahan took McDaniel with him everywhere he went. You are right about Tua's fit in the offense. It features lots of screens, slants, and short crossing routes, all of which play to Tua's strength: his accuracy in the short game. I believe he will put up pretty decent stats, particularly if they do well in the RAC area. I think any consistent downfield success for Tua will depend entirely on how the run game goes and how well Tua does with play action. His real struggle willl come, as you say, when he has to throw (especially downfield) and the defense knows he has to throw.

Earlier within this thread, I quoted exactly what Dawkins said about Ford in the article. Here it is again: “Cody had a hell of a day,” Dawkins said, “pancake after pancake after pancake, no pressures. Cody is a fighter, last year, he was upset he wasn’t playing. This year, he’s taking it as a reality check and is handling it the right way. What we want to see is him respecting the challenge and not complaining about it. As long as he’s not pouting and keeping high spirits, as long as he puts his best work on film, he understands what needs to be done. (Kromer) doesn’t sugarcoat anything. He’ll tell him exactly what he doesn’t want to hear. He’ll say, ‘This is ***** horrible,’ or, ‘You think that you’re doing it right, but you’re not.’ Cody’s heard that before, but now it’s from a different face. So now it’s not, ‘Oh, that’s Bobby being Bobby.’ Now you have two people saying it, so now you’re the one that’s wrong and not them. I’m proud of him. It’s easy when things are going wrong in this league to shut it down and go into a dark place. He’s not there. He’s working.” Quote about Ford's reaction to Dawkins' comments: "Ford admitted the attitude adjustment was necessary and overdue." IMHO, it really didn't seem like that big of a deal. Dawkins talked about the attitude issues that Ford had last year and that he wasn't exhibiting those issues this year. And it appears Ford pretty much agreed with him. Ford was a bad pick. Beane got what he could for him in a trade and the Ford chapter is now over. Again, IMHO, I don't believe Dawkins' comments were that bad and I don't think they had anything to do with Ford being traded.

Here is another quote that speaks to your thoughts: Ford admitted the attitude adjustment was necessary and overdue. He and Dawkins cited new offensive line coach Aaron Kromer has been a significant factor. Asked about the difference between Kromer and previous assistant Bobby Johnson, Ford responded with eight seconds of silence. The corners of his lips curled upward as he mulled his reply. “He’s doing a phenomenal job,” Ford said of Kromer. “I don’t know what that means, coming from me. But the way we’ve been coached and the techniques that we’ve learned is why I say there’s been so much improvement.”

Here is what Dawkins said: “Cody is a fighter,” Dawkins said. “Last year, he was upset he wasn’t playing. This year, he’s taking it as a reality check and is handling it the right way." “What we want to see is him respecting the challenge and not complaining about it. As long as he’s not pouting and keeping high spirits, as long as he puts his best work on film, he understands what needs to be done.” “(Kromer) doesn’t sugarcoat anything,” Dawkins said. “He’ll tell him exactly what he doesn’t want to hear. He’ll say, ‘This is ***** horrible,’ or, ‘You think that you’re doing it right, but you’re not. Cody’s heard that before, but now it’s from a different face. So now it’s not, ‘Oh, that’s Bobby being Bobby.’ Now you have two people saying it, so now you’re the one that’s wrong and not them.” “I’m proud of him,” Dawkins said. “It’s easy when things are going wrong in this league to shut it down and go into a dark place. He’s not there. He’s working.”

Right. They are not mutually exclusive. You can place blame with Bean for using a high pick on a player who ended up performing so badly, and also give him credit for getting a fifth round pick for a player who performed so badly. In the end, it was a waste of a high draft pick and a net loss. It happens to every single GM.